Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-11-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
What Chief J. ]. Brooks of the Secret
Service has to Say about Counterfeit
Sers- - M
Especial Correspondence of the Journal.


Service has to Say about Counterfeit
@ers- IS
Especial Correspondence of the Journal.
wAsHISGroS. Nov. ~, 1887
Your correspondent called on Mr. j. ].
Brooks, Chief of the Secret Service of the
United States, in the Treasury Department.
yesterday, for the purpose of learning some
thing of the characters he has to deal with.
and the queer" issued by them.
On the third floor of that department we
entered door labelled Secret Service.
On entering the visitors reception room, the
eve Immediately meets the facial outlines of
some of the most noted crooks and criminals
that the annals of crime afford. The walls
on all sides are decorated with photographs
| of men, women and children of this class,
and in the examination of these ones mind is
carried away with prejudged opinion which
causes him To see viciousness in the faces Of
many of whom. under other circumstances he
forms quite different opinion. On close
/ observation, and after little study, this
prejudice in a measure wears off, and with
it CLEAN of responsibility and Intelligence,
in the faces OF many of them. is revealed
/ bat he fancies that from these lifeless out
lines they could easily be arranged into two
classes and that without any idea as To the
/ part each takes in his unlawful trade.
The shower" always carries in his face
something more wicked and brutal than he
who performs the higher art of the trade.
| The raiser of notes or bonds, or the engraver
/ of plates, in many instances has as placid
and benignant countenanee any deacon
that ever ornamented pulpit. This is par
ticularly so in the case of three of the most
noted counterfeiters that the department has
ever had to deal with, and they would pass il
any community as perfect gentlemen.
In answer to the question as to how the
counterfeiters' work, in point of artistic de
sign, compares with that of the engraver he
| lives by honest labor, he said There is d
much higher degree of skill necessary in
counterfeiters work, to make the business al
all paying one You see the whole worlc
is as a band of detectives against them, anC
consequently their work must be good. Tn
4 doubleday, the best talent in the way of en-
craving that has ever been seen in thi:
country, has been employed in counterfeit
ing. There was time when these fellow.
gave us a pTtltN clOsc run. anu we began u
think we never should rid the country OF
counterfeit money, but that was several year,
ago and at the time when our work was done
pretty much theirs is now, and as their,
must always be donel that is, by the slow
all-hand process"
well, then, counterfeiting is gradually
growing less, is it not" queried the reporter
"Oh, yes, every year" replied the chief
You see, we are, and have been for many
years past making such great improvements
in our mode of conducting the work, that the
best skilled, all-hand talent will not be liable
to initiate "A bond or a note sufficiently wei
To dispose of any great number before being
detected"
Now take look at that" at the sam,
time directing the reporters attention to
thousand dollar bond. That is as fine
piece of work as was ever executed in this
or any other country. Lots of these wcr,
passed and quite considerable number wer,
taken right here in this department, per
feet an imitation was it of our own, but tha
was years ago. To-day the same man coulC
make but poor counterfeit of the work VT
are now doing He has no machinery ant
cant get it, and hence counterfeitng, as
| said before, is constantly on the decrease.
He further stated that the foreigners are
''dabsters' compared with the Americans
Smith of Brooklyn was one of the hes
counterfeters of the country, and although
he is an Englishman by birth, yet he learneo
! the business of engraving under this Govern
ment about the beginning of the war, and al
an engraver don't think there is any better.
Now, take a look at that" handing tn,
reporter a silver dollar. Il can 90 out OF
the street and pass it in any store in the city
Il.
been able to catch, but it is our opinion tina
he only makes sufficient number for hi
individual use. That coin has an intrinsi,
value of thirty per cent of the genuine arti
Gle, and none but an expert could detect it ~
IA counterfeit. \ cid will not touch it, and i
contains the two essential elements of weigh
and ring in "A high degree--elcments which
are difficult to unite in one and the sam,
counterfeit coin. That coin is made by tax
ing plaster cast of both sides of the genu
inc dollar then they put these casts togethe
and through this little hole at the top pour il
the composition. This is quite different from
the way we make our dollars We staml
them out under a pressure of eighty tons
AS to the lustre and ring there is no differ
ence between that and ours, but it lacks tn,
weight, and is short about sixty-six and two
thirds per cent silver and the man who MAKE
il is a shrewd one"
"llere is a coin, which, like most counter
feits, doesn't contain penny's worth of metal
1t is almost entirely composed of antimon,
and possesses neither of the elements of ring
lustre, nor weight. You can buy pound o
the material that it is composed of for egh
cents. and anybody with half his senses woul,
detect it counterfeit at once. There is
fascination about connterfcting continue,